1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer inspection method.
2. Related Art
A semiconductor wafer often includes a principal surface that is a planar surface and a chamfered surface that is formed in a peripheral portion. The chamfered portion is chamfered and thus can prevent damage of the semiconductor wafer in a case where an external force is applied to the peripheral portion.
A defect such as a crack, a projection, an attached particle and the like that is present on the chamfered surface increases the likelihood of cracking, breakage and the like of the semiconductor wafer during processing of the semiconductor wafer.
In order to detect such a defect of a chamfered surface, a technique for taking images of a chamfered surface from a plurality of positions and detecting a defect of the chamfered surface based on a plurality of images thus taken is proposed (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Applications Publication Nos. 2003-139523 and 2003-243465).
Here, in an inspection of a chamfered surface, in addition to detection of a defect, determination of whether or not a chamfered surface shape is abnormal is required. However, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Applications Publication Nos. 2003-139523 and 2003-243465, though a defect of the chamfered surface can be detected, it cannot be determined whether or not the shape of the chamfered surface is abnormal. As a result, a separate step of determination of whether or not the shape of the chamfered portion is abnormal is required, and thus there has been a problem in throughput of inspection processing being decreased.